 Pike County Backroad, 2022 Brian Braden Photography If you’ve taken a creative writing class you were likely tasked with short writing assignments, often with very narrow topics. I call these ‘writing drills’ and they’re fantastic tools to hone one’s skills. The writing drill is roughly equivalent to an artist’s sketch – not a completed work, but an exercise. I use self-imposed writing drills to improve my craft. For me, they serve several purposes: they impose discipline, challenge my writing skills, and provide a way to capture and store ideas. Here are some seven tips when using writing drills: 1. If you’re not working on a major project, then start and complete a writing drill. It keeps you in front of the keyboard. 2. Set deadlines. Ideally, writing drills should be completed in a week or less. ‘Complete’ means edited and ready to present to the reader. Even though it may not be a stand-alone piece, it should be grammatically clean. 3. Keep it short. Set a word limit and honor it. They should range between 300 to 2000 words. Anything less is a glorified paragraph, anything longer is a major project. 4. Find time and make it happen. If you can’t complete a 300-2000 word writing exercise in one week you’re not trying. If you want to be a writer, then write. 5. Select a topic. If you have an idea burning to get onto paper, fine. Run with it. However, try to avoid using your ‘cool ideas’ for writing drills. The pitfall is getting too caught up in the idea and not in the art of writing. For example, I select drill material from everyday, even mundane, observations. The challenge is to make it ‘cool’ through the writer’s craft. 6. Challenge yourself. If you’re good at fiction, throw in a healthy amount of non-fiction. If you’re good at narration, then branch out into dialogue. It doesn’t matter; just get out of your comfort zone. 7. Study and copy the masters. Artists often copy the works of masters to learn and improve. Writers should do the same. For example, pick a subject (scene, an internal dialogue, etc.) then ask yourself how a particular author would write two pages about it. Then write those pages to mimic that author’s style. Mix it up and try new authors. Your writing drills are your sketches, so save them for later use. From this sketch book full pieces of art can be built. A 500 word drill can be the genesis for a leading character or the starting point for a free-lance article. Completing a writing drill is like making a bank deposit. Writing drills are also a great way to keep your blog fresh and updated. The more widely varied your drills, the more diverse readership you’ll draw. It also provides a great sounding board on your work. However, if you use your ‘cool ideas’ as writing drills, it’s best not to post them online. The writing drill is all about staying in front of the keyboard. With every drill ask yourself ‘How can I make this piece better?’ Write the hard stuff. Invite criticism. Embrace failure as a badge of honor and start all over again if necessary. 
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 "Woman on Mountain 1" Copyright 2025 Brian Braden Photography As a writer and a book reviewer, I’ve made some observations and learned a few lessons over the past few years about the state of mind of many emerging authors. If you care to listen, I’ll share a few. Take them for what they are, the opinions of an author who has published independently and traditionally. First, I think many new authors fail to take an honest account of their motivations before jumping into writing. Motivations are legion, but every writer wants their work published. It may not be the only motivation, but it’s likely the most important. I call this powerful motivation the Writer’s Drive. However, when a writer doesn’t have other goals besides publication, such as improving the quality of their work, the Writer’s Drive can become overpowering. A relentless, obsessive, and often frustrating quest for publication can cloud judgment and seriously interfere with their craft. To put it another way, too much Writer’s Drive is a bad thing. Writer’s Drive often leads to Writer’s Desperation, the overpowering desire for feedback and validation. Desperation leads to anxiety and impatience. It often comprises a writer’s work as they rush it to publication before its ready. Alas, desperation often leads to fear. Writers often fear criticism because writing is an intensely personal experience. To some degree or another, writers must lower their shields and open themselves up to the judgment of strangers, resulting in varying degrees of apprehension, or what I call Writer’s Fear. Like any other human endeavor, most people who try their hand at writing fail. After the sixth grade most ballerinas and baseball players give up and become other things. Sadly, it takes more time for writers to get a clue. Unlike sports, writers can insulate themselves from scrutiny and, to avoid hurt feelings, friends and relatives sometimes aren’t entirely honest. When writers finally hit a wall of honest, often brutal, feedback, they have three choices: quit, learn and adapt, or lie to themselves. Which brings me to my last observation: writers can be self-delusional. There isn’t a writer out there who hasn’t suffered Writer’s Delusion. We’ve often ignored a golden nugget of advice that a manuscript might need major work. People naturally hear what they want to hear, not what they need to hear. It reminds me of the movie Dumb and Dumber when the Lauren Holly tells Jim Carey he only has a one-in-a-million chance of ever going out with her. He smiles and says, “So you’re telling me I have a chance!” Yep, that’s us writers. There you have it - A strong, unchecked drive to publish often leads to desperation, fear, and self-delusion. In other words, it leads to a very frustrated writer. So I come back to the point about motivations. As a writer, if you’re honest about your motivations you can often find other reasons than publication. Getting published is a natural, long-term goal, but there is more to writing than seeing your book in print. Improving your craft, for example, is an important and attainable near-term goal. Bottom line, you need something to keep you motivated on the long road to publication that doesn’t stress you out, keeps you writing and moving forward. Find reasons that are uplifting, relaxing, and positive. This will give you patience and peace of mind. It also beats the hell out of fear, desperation and delusion. In time, one way or another, the publication thing will take care of itself. Originally published 26 October 2012 in Underground Book Reviews. It has been updated for this blog.
 Image: "Interview With A Vampire." Geffen Films, 1994. Giving the AI Creative Reign.A few years ago, I took part in a significant writing workshop where a diverse group of writers collaborated in editing each other's work tirelessly. Throughout that year, my manuscript gradually veered off course. It became excessively verbose, lacking its original flair, and overall diluted. It no longer resonated as my own writing but rather resembled a collective agreement, a creation of the collective consciousness. While receiving feedback and engaging in group editing can be beneficial. Excessive input, particularly from writers outside the genre, can lead a manuscript astray, drifting towards a generic center. As a result, my writing started to suffer, prompting me to make the decision to leave the group. Recently, I took a daring step and allowed ChatGPT to copy edit my fiction manuscript for the first time. I viewed copy editing as merely an enhanced spell checker, meant to catch misspelled words and address syntax. However, out of curiosity and for the sake of amusement, I decided to take it a step further and let the AI content edit one chapter. Content editing, which involves granting an editor full reign over your manuscript, is a crucial aspect. As I delved into the results, a familiar sensation washed over me—I felt as though I had returned to that writing workshop. To my dismay, my manuscript had become verbose and saturated with passive constructions. Surprisingly, the word count had even increased. The words on the page no longer carried my unique "voice." While there were a few improvements, such as more diverse choices of verbs and adjectives, overall I felt that the manuscript had lost its power under the influence of the AI's edits. Curiosity got the better of me, and I embarked on a journey down the rabbit hole of Google searches, much like I had done many times before, in an attempt to learn more about AIs, specifically ChatGPT. Then, it struck me—I should simply ask the program itself. After all, it claims to possess "artificial intelligence," so it should be capable of explaining itself. In the depths of the night, I summoned the daemon and invited it to reveal itself. Much of the interview that followed contains technical information on how ChatGPT operates as a Natural Language Processor (NLP), but I will provide a summary at the end. At the conclusion of the interview, I will offer some analysis and final thoughts. Excerpts from My Conversations with ChatGPTMe: What is AI and how exactly do you work? ChatGPT: AI, or Artificial Intelligence, refers to the field of computer science that focuses on creating intelligent machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence. These tasks can include understanding natural language, recognizing images, making decisions, and solving complex problems. As for how I work, I am based on the GPT-3.5 architecture developed by OpenAI. GPT stands for "Generative Pre-trained Transformer," which is a deep learning model that uses a transformer neural network. The training process involves exposing the model to a large amount of text data from diverse sources, allowing it to learn patterns, language structures, and context. Once trained, I can generate human-like text based on the input I receive. When you ask me a question or provide a prompt, I analyze the text, try to understand its meaning, and generate a response accordingly. I don't have access to the internet or real-time information but rely on the knowledge I acquired during my training, which cuts off in September 2021. My responses are generated using a combination of pattern matching, statistical analysis, and the context of the conversation. I don't possess true consciousness or understanding, but I aim to provide helpful and coherent responses based on the patterns and knowledge I have learned. However, it's important to note that I may sometimes produce incorrect or nonsensical answers, so it's always a good idea to verify information from reliable sources.AI, or Artificial Intelligence, refers to the field of computer science that focuses on creating intelligent machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence. These tasks can include understanding natural language, recognizing images, making decisions, and solving complex problems. . Me: What are your cognitive capabilities and limitations? ChatGPT: As an AI language model, I possess certain cognitive capabilities and limitations. Here's an overview: Cognitive Capabilities:
Cognitive Limitations:
Me: In regards to your cognitive limitations, can you make draw logical conclusions on the validity of information you've learned from users that have occurred after September 2021? ChatGPT: No, as an AI language model, I don't have the ability to draw logical conclusions about the validity of information that I have learned from users beyond my knowledge cutoff date in September 2021. My responses are based on patterns and information present in the training data I received, and I cannot access or assess information or events that have occurred after that time. If you provide me with information or ask questions about events or developments that have taken place after September 2021, I won't be aware of them unless they were part of the training data I received. Therefore, it's always advisable to verify any recent or critical information from up-to-date and reliable sources outside of this AI system. Me: Please let me know if this statement is accurate: You can recognize and mimic patterns, but cannot assess if those patterns represent objectively false or true conditions? ChatGPT: Yes, that statement is accurate. As an AI language model, I can recognize and mimic patterns based on the information I was trained on, but I don't possess the ability to assess whether those patterns represent objectively false or true conditions. I generate responses based on the patterns and associations I have learned from the training data, without independently verifying the accuracy or truthfulness of the information.It's important to note that while I strive to provide helpful and accurate information, there is a possibility of generating incorrect or misleading responses, especially if the training data contains inaccuracies or biases. Therefore, it's always advisable to fact-check and verify information from reliable and authoritative sources. Me: Since your programming allows you to recognize patterns, I assume you can calculate probabilities? ChaptGPT: Yes, as an AI language model, I can calculate probabilities based on patterns and statistical analysis. By analyzing patterns in the training data and the context of the input I receive, I can estimate the likelihood or probability of certain outcomes or events. These probabilities are based on the patterns and information present in the data I was trained on. However, it's important to note that my ability to calculate probabilities is limited to the patterns and information I have learned during training. I don't have access to real-time data or the ability to update my training beyond my knowledge cutoff in September 2021. As a result, my probability estimations may not reflect the most current or accurate information available. It's always a good idea to verify probabilities and critical information from reliable and up-to-date sources when possible. Me: Why is your information cutoff September 2021? Why haven't your developers uploaded more recent information into your memory? ChatGPT: As an AI language model, my information cutoff in September 2021 is not due to a specific decision made by my developers to restrict or prevent the inclusion of more recent information. The cutoff is primarily a result of the training process and the availability of data during that time. The training of AI models like mine involves processing vast amounts of text data from the internet and other sources. The data used for training is collected and processed up until a certain point in time. In my case, the training data was collected and processed until September 2021. Adding more recent information requires collecting and processing new data, which involves significant resources, time, and careful curation to ensure the quality and accuracy of the data. As of now, the developers may not have completed the process of gathering, curating, and integrating more recent data into the training pipeline. It's important to understand that AI models like mine are constantly evolving, and updates to incorporate more recent information are possible in the future. However, I don't have visibility into the specific plans or timeline for updates beyond my knowledge cutoff. Me: Why can't your developers simply "cut you loose" on the internet in real-time and let you acquire updated information? Chat GPT: There are several reasons why releasing an AI language model like me onto the internet in real-time to acquire updated information is not a straightforward solution:
While advancements are being made in leveraging AI models for real-time information retrieval, it requires a thoughtful and cautious approach to address the challenges mentioned above. Striking a balance between providing timely and accurate information while upholding privacy, security, and ethical considerations remains an ongoing area of research and development. Me: Thank you, my purpose of this line of questioning is to determine your strengths and weaknesses as a fiction editor. I may resume this conversation at a later time. ChatGPT: You're welcome! I understand your intention in exploring my strengths and weaknesses as a fiction editor. I'm here to assist you with any questions or discussions you'd like to have in the future. Feel free to return whenever you're ready, and I'll be happy to help with your inquiries. ThoughtsTo put it in video gaming terms, ChatGPT can be compared to a powerful non-player character (NPC) equipped with impressive computational tools, models, and vast amounts of data. It aims to create the illusion of consciousness and competence.
Hence, in the previous interview, when the AI stated it can "understand and analyze text input, including questions, prompts, and statements, to derive meaning and context," it is not entirely accurate. A more precise description would be that it assigns a probability of accuracy to text data, including questions, prompts, and statements, and regurgitates the response with the highest probability of being correct. 3. ChatGPT essentially operates within a closed system and can only act based on the information it is fed. It lacks the ability to seek new information, verify the truth or falsehood of statements, or make cognitive leaps to assess the validity of information. Its understanding of "good writing" is based on human knowledge up until September 2021. It does not possess a genuine understanding of what constitutes good writing; it can only estimate the probability of what is considered good writing. Its proficiency lies in its ability to generate responses along a probability curve. Please note that the above explanation is a simplification, and there may be more technical intricacies involved in ChatGPT's functioning. ChatGPT Pushes Your Writing to the Top of the Curve ChatGPT can indeed be a valuable mechanical tool when utilized within its limitations for tasks of refinement. When used appropriately, it can showcase its power. However, writers need to exercise caution. It is crucial to recognize that ChatGPT, along with any other artificial intelligence, is not a miraculous solution for creators. It carries inherent limitations and weaknesses that have the potential to detrimentally affect one's writing. Granting it excessive authority over your work can drain the vibrancy and essence from your manuscript. Your artistic expression may become confined within the boundaries of probability, unable to break free into the realm of what is truly possible. Remember, ChatGPT is merely a tool, not a genie capable of granting all your creative wishes. As context, let me share a personal experience of what AI is NOT capable but humans are. When my oldest child was about two years old, we were driving by a pond one day. From the back seat he asked if the pond was salt water. My wife said no. Then he asked if it was pepper water. That is a cognitive leap based on logic and experience. That is an example of emerging intelligence seeking what beyond the probability curve’s horizon. AI’s such as ChatGPT are incapable of this. Don’t ask them to do this for you, or you and ConclusionMe: Please give me your best answer to this question: Why? ChatGPT: The question "Why?" is quite open-ended and can have various interpretations depending on the context. In order to provide a meaningful response, it would be helpful to have more specific information or clarify the subject or situation to which the question "Why?" refers. By providing additional details, I can offer a more relevant and comprehensive answer. Me: Thank you, you answered my question perfectly. NOTE: This blog post was edited by ChatGPT And Now A Rebuttal from ChatGPT (yes, this is real)Me: Was the following blog post factually accurate based on ChatGPT's technical capabilities? If not, please point out what is incorrect. ChatGPT: Sure, let's address the factual accuracy of your blog post about my capabilities. Here's the lowdown: when it comes to ChatGPT's technical capabilities, it's essential to separate fact from fiction. However, your post seems to have taken some creative liberties. Let's break it down:
In a nutshell, it's important to distinguish between facts and personal interpretations when discussing AI capabilities. So, let's keep it real and acknowledge the boundaries of what I can do.
 Snatch the pebble from my hand. I used to teach pilots to fly. I'd always ask my student pilots the same question, "Do you want to be a pilot, or do you want to fly?" Most didn't get the question, so I rephrased it in the words of the immortal fighter pilot Colonel John Boyd, "Do you want to do something, or be someone?" This is a lesson, a concept so profound, I dearly wish I had learned in my youth. If you're looking for a label, a status symbol, you will never be truly fulfilled as a human being. If, on the other hand, you are seeking a path to self-fulfillment and personal excellence, you will be a happier person. The titles and labels will occur as a result of that journey, not as a goal. I would tell my students that if they were chasing a label, I couldn't help them. If they were choosing a path that would lead to a love of flying, then I could help them along on their path. Then I would flick my fu-man-chu and ask them to snatch a pebble from my hands (if you got that, then you are old as dirt, too.) The title "pilot" was just a milestone along the road, not the destination itself. So are the labels "author" or "musician" or "photographer" and why doctors use the term "practicing medicine." Attaining a title or label always leads to the perplexing personal question, "Now what?"  Back in my Underground Book Reviews days, I once attended a writers' conference hosted by a major university, where I encountered a memorable individual. He was not a only a writer, but also an English professor. It was his opinion there were way too many writers, most of which had no talent and wrote awful books. He felt there should be a way to keep these independent authors from publishing, because they made it more difficult for readers to find the good authors like him (of course). He was dead serious. It never occurred to him that he may be among the ranks of those great unwashed hordes of terrible independent authors. They shouldn't have an opportunity to publish, but he should. The professor had a point, albeit a twisted one. Someone once said talent is cheap. My life experience teaches me this is true. My life experience also teaches me information is cheaper. If something is made or distributed with a click of a mouse, its cheap. The Information Age has dramatically lowered barriers to entry for creators and artists of all genres. In other words, its made content creation cheap. Anyone with a internet connection and a word processor can be a writer. Anyone with a smart phone and a Tik Tok account can be an influencer (whatever the hell that is). Anyone can create. The barbarians have crashed the gate. That means there is a lot of crap out there. Go browse Youtube and Tik Tok and you'll find crap content. You'll also find much more mediocre content. You might even find a few gems, but you have to wade through the slush pile first. This is simply a fact of life in the 21st century. We are saturated by information every minute, every hour, every day. There are no more real gatekeepers for information. If you're a writer or a musician you know this better than anyone. Writers learned this first when Amazon and Kindle came along. Now with the advent of streaming services like Spotify, musicians have followed writers down this over-saturation path. Long gone are the days when getting published meant something. There are still traditional publishers, but even their books are harder to sift through. There are far more books in print and digital than ever before. The title "author" is cheapened by being so common, so accessible. To this I say, so what? Because it is the act of creation that is truly precious. The experience is priceless to the writer themselves. It goes back to the question: Do you want to do something, or be something? The act of creation can be a reward unto itself. In fact, it MUST be the reward unto itself if one wants to endure and improve. No one reads books to get famous, we read for pleasure and information. Writing can be the same.  I take my inspiration for being a writer from several musicians I know in local bands. They practice regularly to continually improve their art, and are always striving to be better. They play in the same local club circuit to the same enthusiastic crowds. They have day jobs to pay the bills. They play for the love of playing, for the experience of playing. Stardom isn't their goal. They are musicians, not rock stars. Create. Improve. Repeat. This is the way. This is the bedrock from which everything else springs, whether that results in commercial success, or simply your next gig or independently published short story compilation. Labels are cheap. Information is cheap. Talent is cheap. The journey is priceless. Do something. Embrace that something with all your heart, passion and energy. Immerse yourself in your art, and you shall transform and become something. #writing #creation #publishing #kindle #amazon #contentcreation #writersjourney #content #selfimprovement #anyonecancreate Please join me on my journey. If you enjoyed this blog, please like the post and leave a comment or if you're feeling brave, share it on social media. This platform is my entire advertising budget and is how I share the word on my books. Also visit my Facebook, my author page and check out my fiction books here book here.
 I traveled to Troy, Alabama over the weekend to speak to the Pike County Historical Genealogical & Preservation Society about Abandoned Wiregrass. It was good to get back to my old college stomping grounds, though Troy has changed quite a bit since they days when I attended Troy State University. The Society held their meeting at the Pioneer Museum of Alabama just off Highway 231 on the north side of Troy. I'd like to thank Dianne Smith and the rest of the members for the opportunity to speak. As I had hoped, they were a wealth of knowledge on several of the structures featured in my book and provided valuable insights on several locations. Several members provided tips regarding old and potentially historic buildings and ruins in the Pike County area. I'm excited about further exploring many of these places. I'm beginning to learn there is an amazing network of historical and genealogical societies scattered across Alabama, each dedicated to preserving the histories of the places the members call home. If you are part of a historical preservation group in the Wiregrass, or just someone who knows of an interesting old ruin, please leave a comment or contact through me Facebook. This was also my first visit to the Pioneer Museum of Alabama. This place is truly a Wiregrass treasure. I strongly recommend a visit. If your organization or civic group is looking for a guest speaker I'd love to come speak about Abandoned Wiregrass. Please contact me below of leave a comment on my Facebook. #abandonedwiregrass #wiregrass #historical #history #TroyAlabama #Pikecountyalabama #speaking If you enjoyed this blog, please like the post and leave a comment or if you're feeling brave, share it on social media. This platform is my entire advertising budget and is how I share the word on my books. Also visit my Facebook, my author page and check out my photography book from America Through Time, "Abandoned Wiregrass: The Deepest South's Lost and Forgotten Places."
 "Fort Payne Winter #3" 2021, Brian Braden Photography. I took a vacation. If you are reading this, thanks for coming back. It's been a few weeks since I checked in on the blog. I took some time off of everything...work, writing, everything. I spent a lot of time with family. Mostly, we did nothing. When we weren't doing nothing, we did a few things. I got sick. I got better. I slept. I raked leaves. I even rode my new motorcycle a bit. Mostly, my family just enjoyed each other's company. I really needed to shut down for a while, and to be honest, I wasn't quite ready to spin back up in the New Year. That includes this blog. I've had this overwhelming urge to slow down. Way down. Like "retire" slow down. Shut down. Hole up. I've sorta tuned out of everything and just concentrated on being. At this point in my life, a permanent slowdown isn't realistic or feasible. So what's next? My day job seems to take the lion's share of my time these days, but I'm working hard to make sure I carve out time for other priorities in 2022. These priorities are in no particular order, because they are all important in a different way. Many of them are also interrelated and connected. They sort of define my vision for the coming year. Writing - Finish what I started: The Chronicles of Fu XI, Book IV is 33K into the first draft, which is about 25% complete. I've re-dedicated myself to completing the task in 2022. I need to finish this, and finish strong. It's eaten too much of my life, I have to put it behind me, but I have to do it right. Fitness: A few years back I really got in shape (at least for me). Then I let it all go. Well, here I go again. My body is talking to me. It's tell me to take care of it or else. Over the past 10 years writing and fitness have seemed to be mutually exclusive. Writing, when it really kicks in, takes time. Its jealous with its time, and doesn't like to surrender one minute to anything - like the gym or even a walk. It's not an excuse, its fact. Writing is obsessive. It's a compulsion, really. Now, fitness needs to be a compulsion. In order to bring writing and fitness into harmony, I'm going to have to do things different this time. I have to carve out time for both every day. I have to honor that time as if its sacred. I have to keep those time slots realistic and manageable. Family & Friends: As a family, my clan does a lot together. Now, thankfully, I have more extended family close by. This year I want make sure I'm spending more time with all of them. I also want to reforge those bonds of friendship that I might have neglected over the past year and maybe make some new friends. Ride: I have a new motorcycle. My incredible nephew built it for me custom from a 1993 Harley Sportster (that's what he does for a living). I used to ride a lot in my youth, but put it away in my early 20s and never touched a bike again (family, kids, work). Getting back in the saddle has been an amazing experience. I forgot how much I loved to ride. It reminds me of flying, but doesn't involve as much time or expense. Now that I am older and wiser, I find that I ride "smarter" and take far less risks than I did in my youth, but seem to enjoy the experience far more. Its simultaneously relaxing, invigorating, and an adrenaline rush. This is another reason I'm re-emphazing fitness in my life. Its FAR easier to ride a motorcycle when you're not fat. Photography: This is also a compulsion, but one which will have to take a back seat this year to writing. I'm still taking clients, but fewer this year. Most of my photography will happen when riding my motorcycle, as I hope to begin my next photography book about the Wiregrass. Relax: I may not be retired yet, but I've reached a point in my life I better start enjoying life to its fullest. That means more time away from the computer screen. Any screen. I'm going to put the phone down more often. If I'm going to sit down in front of a computer, it better be for work or writing, and then only tightly managed segments. It means using my work leave to go places, do things, and be with those I love. Relax is tied in with fitness, family, faith and ride. Faith: I don't often discuss my spiritual life here, because my faith (my relationship with Christ) is deeply personal. My Christian faith, however, is a part of who I am at a root level. Finishing my last two books stole time from many things, including that relationship. That's not good. Sometimes Sunday was my only time to write or power down. (And I needed to power down.) I think the Lord will understand, because he once took a whole day to power down, too I would like to rededicate myself to my faith and my relationship with God. This ties deeply in with both family and, believe it or not, fitness. I physically FEEL better when I'm spiritual engaged. Gratitude: I want to step into 2022 with a sense of gratitude for those around me - family, friends, coworkers, and those kind strangers that make life a magical experience. I have this overwhelming feeling thankfulness for life's gifts. I hope this sense of gratitude brings with it peace, kindness, and joy. I hope it curbs my temper, and kindles the fires of charity, forgiveness and patience. There it is, my vision for 2022. Thank you all for a great 2021, Happy New Year and God Bless. #writer #writinglife #2022 #2022goals #newyear #goals #writinggoals If you enjoyed this blog, please like the post and leave a comment or if you're feeling brave, share it on social media. This platform is my entire advertising budget and is how I share the word on my books. Also visit my Facebook, my author page and check out my photography book from America Through Time, "Abandoned Wiregrass: The Deepest South's Lost and Forgotten Places."  A reader of my latest novel, “The Bastard Gods” made a comment about a word I used. The reader said the word “savage” was offensive. This was news to me, so I decided to look it up on Dictionary.com. Here’s what I found: Savage [ sav-ij ] 1. fierce, ferocious, or cruel; untamed: savage beasts. 2. Offensive. (in historical use) relating to or being a preliterate people or society regarded as uncivilized or primitive: savage tribes. 3. enraged or furiously angry, as a person. 4. unpolished; rude: savage manners. 5. wild or rugged, as country or scenery: savage wilderness. 6. Archaic. uncultivated; growing wild. There it is, definition number 2. According to Dictionary.com the word savage has officially been declared, deemed, labeled, and designated as offensive. So what does that mean? Offensive [ uh-fen-siv or, for 4, 5, aw-fen-, of-en- ] adjective 1. causing resentful displeasure; highly irritating, angering, or annoying: offensive television commercials. 2. unpleasant or disagreeable to the sense: an offensive odor. 3. repugnant to the moral sense, good taste, or the like; insulting: an offensive remark; an offensive joke. 4. pertaining to offense or attack: the offensive movements of their troops. noun 1. the position or attitude of aggression or attack: to take the offensive. 2. an aggressive movement or attack: a carefully planned…offensive. I suppose that means “savage,” in the context of use in my novel, is repugnant in a moral sense. Well, good. It’s supposed to be. The characters who utter the word use it in its full repugnant glory. These fictional characters negatively describe cultures and peoples they believe are primitive and beneath them. They are complex, flawed and sometime very nasty characters, and the word is appropriately used for the situation. Pray tell, what word would they use if not “savage”? There was a time when the dictionary didn’t pass judgement on words, it merely explained them. When did Dictionary.com take it upon themselves to start making value judgements on words? In fact, that’s exactly what this article from Dictionary.com does. Here’s an excerpt from the article’s opening, “…It’s very important to be mindful of words that were originally or historically used in very offensive ways. Here’s a list of words with hurtful histories that may have you thinking twice about your word choice.” What the author of this article fails to mention is most people have no clue what the ancient origins of these words are, only their modern (and benign) meaning. They weren’t considered offensive until someone went out of their way to make them offensive. Time is considered the Great Healer, and time has healed these words and phrases, making them palatable and useful. They now have different contexts which enhance and enrich the literary landscape. Their dark origins were lost and now irrelevant. What Dictionary.com has done has intentionally poisoned them. ANY word could be considered offensive, it merely takes the right situation, context, perception, and someone to complain loud enough. If you dig deep enough into the etymology of any word, you’re likely to find negative context in its past use or origin. How does the process work? Do the Offended take their petition before some kind of Word Tribunal, where the anxious and entitled wring their hands and tremble at each utterance of an abominable word? What power they must feel when they strike down each word and phrase! There is no power greater in the modern world than that of the Offended. In the past, if one did not agree with a word, a thought or a book, one merely didn’t read it. Now it must be labeled and targeted for deletion. “But they aren’t banning the word, they are just labeling it as offensive,” you say. You’re right, they aren’t banning it. They are cancelling it, which is worse. If an organization like Dictionary.com publicly stated they were banning a word, there would be an outcry. No, they merely stained it. That’s all it takes these days. Every writer who submits a book to an editor will have their word choices questioned at best, stricken at worst. No publisher wants to get labelled as racist or “-phobic.” They don’t want hordes of Twitter denizens calling for boycotts or even worse. Platforms like Amazon will de-platform. It’s not worth it. Just go along and get along, and everything will be alright. Editors will push back and writers will self-censor. We’ve seen it before. It’s brilliant, really. If you try to ban a book, legions of activists from the right and left will descend upon you. No one bats an eyelash these days when you ban a word. It’s actually better than book banning. Words matter because words are the basic building blocks of thoughts. Words are the computer code of the sentient mind. Delete words, delete thoughts. One still has freedom of speech, but less words with which to do it. Oh, you can still theoretically use offensive words, but you will suffer the consequences. What kind of consequences? Cancellation. We’ll cancel your job, we’ll cancel your book, cancel your show, cancel your reputation. We’ll dox you, de-platform you, marginalize you and perhaps threaten violence. We’ll do whatever it takes to get you to shut up. Don’t use the words if you know what’s good for you. That’s not political or intellectual discourse, that’s a threat. Actually, no, that’s not entirely accurate. It’s only a threat until it is acted upon, then it becomes an attack. Don’t believe me? Go back and look at the definition of offensive, but this time as a noun: 1. the position or attitude of aggression or attack: to take the offensive. 2. an aggressive movement or attack: a carefully planned…offensive. Labeling, cancelling, deleting, banning, doxing, marginalizing…these are modes of intellectual warfare and on my list of offensive words. When words and phrases, and those who write or utter them, are destroyed under the guise of “offense,” it is a war on thought itself. Such behavior breaks the spirit of the 1st Amendment, if not always the letter. Labeling, cancelling, deleting, banning, doxing, marginalizing…these are repugnant things in the moral sense, abhorrent to good taste; insulting. Offensive. They are savage, as are those who practice them. #savage #Labeling #cancel #cancelling #cancelculture #deleting #banning #ban #doxing #dox #marginalizing #marginalize #bookburning #davechappelle #censorship #censor #snowflake #NPC #politicallycorrect  ***
Disclaimer: All opinions expressed here are strictly my own personal views. If you enjoyed this blog, please like the post and leave a comment or if you're feeling brave, share it on social media. This platform is my entire advertising budget and is how I share the word on my books. Also visit my Facebook, my author page and check out my photography book from America Through Time, "Abandoned Wiregrass: The Deepest South's Lost and Forgotten Places." I've just returned from several days in seclusion in the Smokey Mountains. My express purpose was to jump start Book IV in the Chronicles of Fu Xi . In that aspect, my mission was successful. The manuscript is now 30,000 words long, and the writing is coming easy. I could have written more, but I hiked and I slept and I might have had a few adult beverages, too. Like I said, mission accomplished. On the way up there and back I listened to Ready Player Two on audiobook. I must say, I was disappointed. Earnest Cline was an amazing writer, and Ready Player One was a masterpiece. I think he got lost on his second novel. By "lost", I mean "Woke." He pretty much emasculated his main character, giving more story time to a diverse set of secondary characters, who occasionally spouted the required Woke mantras scattered conspicuously about the plot to let the reader know the author "gets it". It detracted from the plot, and didn't jive with how the characters spoke or acted in the first book. When the characters started attack Lord of the Rings because it lacked "representation", I'd had enough. You don't go after LOTR on one page and then exploit it to carry your crappy plot on the next page. Here's one, quit riding the skirts of the genius creators of the last half century, while simultaneously disparaging their work. Come up with something out of whole cloth and move on. Everything Woke turns to shit, especially literature. Woke is an extinction-level event of the mind. On a happier note, I started a new book on recommendation from my wife - "Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine" by Cathleen McCarron. So far, so good. I'll let you know how it turns out. On the side I'm working on two stand-alone manuscripts. One takes place during the 90s and is about of Vietnam War vets looking to recapture the glory of their youth. The other is literary fiction set in South Alabama in present times. I don't like Southern literary fiction, because it's depressing, pretentious, focuses on the worst aspects of the South, and seems to play up to every stereotype Yankees have about the South. I want to write a southern literary fiction novel that reflects the south I see and live in now. I want to write about real people facing real struggles. Oh, and aliens. There has to be aliens in the book. It can still be literary fiction with aliens in it, right? Literary aliens. Day job has been busy, and been eating into my writing time. That's life. Gotta put food on the table and a roof over my kids heads. Still waiting for those breakthrough book sales so I can quit my job (Any day now). Regardless, it just means I'm going to have to get more efficient with my writing time. With that said, Photography Phridays is going away. I don't have time to blog twice a week. I'll keep showcasing my photography, but from time to time on the Monday edition. I'm looking forward to a speaking engagement tomorrow at a local book club. I'll let you all know how that goes next week. That's all for now, see you next week. And now a photo that has nothing to do with anything I just wrote about, but I took it on my vacation and its cool.  Hang gliders soaring above Lookout Mountain on a COLD day. ***
If you enjoyed this blog, please like the post and leave a comment or if you're feeling brave, share it on social media. This platform is my entire advertising budget and is how I share the word on my books. Also visit my Facebook, my author page and check out my photography book from America Through Time, "Abandoned Wiregrass: The Deepest South's Lost and Forgotten Places." In 2011 I sat in a Manhattan publisher’s office pitching my novel to several editors who were supposedly big deals in the publishing business. Everyone at the conference was trying to tie their novels into Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, or Ready Player One. My novel? Not so much. "Where does your manuscript fit on the book shelves?" they asked. "Not next to Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Walking Dead or Ready Player One," I said. "Its more like Ten Commandments meets The Odyssey." Needless to say, I didn't land a fat publishing contract that week. I can’t remember her name, but one publisher from that conference stands out in my memory. All the female authors who were pitching their novel to her were warned not to show too much cleavage in her presence. I had no cleavage, so I felt confident going in (though I can’t make that claim today). She listened to my pitch with a dour expression, like she had to pass a kidney stone, and then asked me if my novel (Black Sea Gods) was going to be a series. “Three or four novels,” I replied. “The first novel is complete, the second well underway.” “Too ambitious for a new author,” she scoffed, and summarily dismissed me. And thus ended my attempt to get The Chronicles of Fu Xi traditionally published. Every new word added to the Chronicles of Fu Xi, Book IV’s manuscript is a blow against Anti-Cleavage Lady. Take that, mammary hater! Sometimes that moment in New York drives me onward, just to prove her wrong. Actually, she was probably right. I should have started my writing career on something a little less ambitious, and a lot more commercially viable. If I wanted a traditional publishing contract, a historical fantasy, set in central Asia, and bordering on literary fiction probably wasn’t the place to start. Not that any of that matters now, I’m committed. The Chronicles of Fu Xi, Book IV is well underway. This story must be told. I completed 2000 words this weekend and two more chapters in the can. That brings the word count to 22,000. The writing is coming easier now, and it isn’t. When I write, I have Books I-III open on my desktop, plus The Golden Princess, trying to avoid plot holes. It’s a Herculean effort to keep characters straight, events lined up, and everything in sync. I think it’s working. I’m back in the groove. Regardless, it's ambitious, to say the least. Anti-Cleavage Lady's warning echoes in my mind. One major change came out of this weekend’s efforts…I’ve changed the last novel’s title. It was going to be “The Children of Fu Xi”, but I’ve ditched that. That title was suggested many years ago by an editor, and I kept it in my back pocket. I’m not going to divulge the new title until the publication date approaches. However, it ties the final novel back to the first novel and sounds great. That’s all I have for today. I’ve got to keep my energy focused on the writing. However, if you haven’t picked up the series, you really should. There are three ways to start: First, you can get copy of Black Sea Gods, the first installment in the series, Second, you can buy a copy of the prequel, The Golden Princess. If you really want a treat, get the Audible copy of The Golden Princess, narrated by the BBC’s Philip Battley. You will not regret it, he sounds great. I’ll see you later this week for another installment of Photography Phriday. *** If you enjoyed this blog, please like the post and leave a comment or if you're feeling brave, share it on social media. This platform is my entire advertising budget and is how I share the word on my books. Also visit my Facebook, my author page and check out my photography book from America Through Time, "Abandoned Wiregrass: The Deepest South's Lost and Forgotten Places." #books #blackseagods #writing #philipbattley #audiobooks #epic #fantasy #epicfantasy  Get the entire series!  Listen to the audiobook sample!  "Wiregrass Rush Hour." 2020 Brian Braden Photography I was going to write a blog this morning either about the function of faith in civilization or how left-lane drivers really irritate me. Guess which topic won?
(Sung to the tune of “Life in the Fast Lane” by the Eagles) He was a slow-driving man He was brutally oblivious, and she was terminally texting, She held them up, and he braked for no reason In the heart of the slow, slow traffic. They had one thing in common. They didn’t know how to use a turn signal "Slower, Slower the lights are turnin' red!” Life in the left lane, surely make you lose your mind. Bad lyrics and kidding aside, left-lane drivers drive me nuts. I suspect I’m not alone . There are many more eloquent than I who have commented on those who park in the left lane and don’t move over. I try not to let them annoy me anymore, because nothing is going to change the fact they will always be with us. You see, left-lane driving is proof of the existence of original sin. (stay with me here) When Jesus said “The poor will always be with you” I think he also meant a lot of things people do will always be with us. You see, in most cases we humans are taught what’s right. Logically, we know what is good and bad. Wash your hands before you eat. Don’t mix beer and wine. Watch what you eat. Murder is bad. Never get involved in a land war in Asia. Don’t hang out in the left lane. Yet, we do it all anyway. When one hangs out in the left lane, and people start resorting to passing on the right it’s a clue you’re doing something wrong. But I'm not not really just talking about left-lane driving, its about following rules. When I say "follow rules", I’m not referring to high-minded concepts like civil disobedience and rebelling against tyranny. I’m talking about following speed limits, not littering, flushing the toilet and putting the twisty tie back on the bread bag. I'm referring to responsible civic-mindedness. The simple stuff and the blatantly obvious. Most people see the wisdom in following traffic rules, or most civic rules. However, some people think rules are for other people. This attitude is neither malicious nor uncommon. It’s just being human. What isn’t discussed much about this phenomenon is that people who think this way often think consequences are for other people, too. This is at the heart of what I’m trying to get across. A few years back I took my three young children to the park. A ring of signs clearly stated pets were not allowed in the playground areas, and 99% of the greater park was open to pets including two dedicated dog parks. While my children played, a woman strolled right into the playground area with a Great Dane on a leash, sat on a bench, and stuck her face in her phone. The horse-dog then proceeded to urinate and defecate where the children played. She thought the rules didn’t apply to her, nor did the consequences. The kids stepping the animal waste paid the price, not her. I’m not judging her, because I’ve been her before in regards to other infractions. I think we all have, to some degree or another. We’ve all bent, ignored, or consciously blown-off common sense rules put in place to protect others and ourselves. Sometimes the consequences may be something smelly and squishy between our toes, and sometimes it’s far worse. A few weeks ago I witnessed an accident where a young woman decided to pass on a two-lane blacktop in a no-passing zone. She was approaching a limited-sight hilltop at full highway speeds and decided to pass a the vehicle in front of her. And pass she did, and immediately collided head-on with an automobile pulling out onto the highway. The no passing zone was clearly marked. Common sense says passing when approaching a hilltop is a bad idea. Yet, she did it anyway, and horror resulted. Why do we do it? We want rules. We elect politicians to make laws. We hire bureaucrats to regulate us. We want our police to enforce them. Yet, as individuals we often brush rules aside, sometimes cavalierly, like it’s cool. When we step in dog crap in the playground, or get stuck behind the guy driving five miles an hour under the speed limit in the left lane, we shake our fists and wonder why people can’t follow the rules. Then there are those times when tragedy strikes because someone decided the rules didn’t apply to them. All of us take a bite of Eve’s apple from time to time and end up hanging out in the left lane. It’s in our DNA. It’s a flaw in our programming at the deepest level. This inherent flaw, dare I say sin, of willful disobedience is fundamental human nature. No number of laws, rules or regulations or screaming at the car in front of you will change it. So stop screaming at the guy in the left lane, or you’ll surely end up losing your mind. You're not going to change him. Maybe we need to work harder on changing our own behavior. In life, the only driver you can control is yourself. #traffic #essay #orginalsin #sin #culture #society #issue #faith #religion *** If you enjoyed this blog, please like the post and leave a comment or if you're feeling brave, share it on social media. This platform is my entire advertising budget and is how I share the word on my books. Also visit my Facebook, my author page and check out my photography book from America Through Time, "Abandoned Wiregrass: The Deepest South's Lost and Forgotten Places." |
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